~ Finding Happiness Through Fitness, Food, and Fun

Category Archives: food science

It only took me 2 weeks, but I’m finally answering a reader question. This reader happens to be one of my best friends from back home and she has a beautiful baby girl. So Jenna asked, What are 10 food items you find essential to have on hand in your kitchen at all times?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot. This question is sooo hard! But I’ve think I’ve narrowed it down. These are not necessarily my favorite foods, but the foods that are healthy and that I find I eat pretty daily.

Oatmeal – Of course this is first – bloggers loooove their oats! But seriously, there is a reason – Oatmeal has loads of benefits ranging from lowering cholesterol, curbing inflammation, and stabilizing mood. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein, soluble, and insoluble fiber. Oatmeal is also quick and easy to make, and can be hot or cold. Just make sure you stick with the old fashion kind. The instant flavored oatmeal is loaded with sugar. Final bonus, no need to buy organic – any canisters of oatmeal are 100% natural and the only ingredients are rolled oats.

Eggs – an egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein that is easily absorbed by the body and all 9 essential amino acids. Eggs have gotten a bad rap for fat and cholesterol. However, science has shown that eggs do not significantly affect cholesterol levels in most individuals. Recent research even suggests that eating whole eggs may actually improve the cholesterol profile-even in persons whose cholesterol levels rise when eating cholesterol-rich foods.

Yogurt – plain low fat or non-fat yogurt to be specific, and I prefer greek yogurt. I actually used to dislike yogurt as a kid. The texture – I would literally gag. Now, I eat it daily. One serving is a significant source of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5. Yogurt also contains B12, something usually an in animal proteins, vegetarians are commonly B12 deficient. Yogurt is also a high-protein food. As with oatmeal, try to stay away from sugar loaded flavored kinds. Add your own toppings like berries and nuts – Voila dessert!

Spinach– 1 cup has only 40 calories and contains all of your daily requirements of vitamin K and vitamin A, as well as almost all the manganese and folate your body needs. Spinach is an excellent choice for nutrition without high calories. It is also a good source of antioxidants, calcium, fiber, magnesium, and protein. Spinach is at the base of all my salads.

Carrots– I love carrots with their satisfying crunch with low calories and tons of vitamins/minerals. I buy a bag of baby carrots and regular carrots every time I’m at the grocery store. Everyone knows carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant. They are also good sources of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine.

Hummus – the base of hummus contains – chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. All these ingredients are nutritional powerhouses making hummus full of protein, healthy omega 3 fatty acids, and lower in calories despite the oil and tahini. Hummus is great as a spread on sandwiches, a dressing on salad, or dip for veggies. Spice it up my adding different vegetables/spices to the base for different flavors.

Nuts/Nut Butter – This is a give in. Nuts are another good source of protein. They contain good for you mono- and poly-unsaturated fats without containing any cholesterol. And nut butters taste ridiculously good!

Tofu or Skinless Chicken Breast – Lean protein. Low in calories and fat. Can marinade either in so many different things.

Apples – high level of flavonoids (more antioxidants!) thought to be responsible for prevent against a number of cancers and diseases. Also, the pectin found in apples aids with blood insulin levels. Apples, and other fruit, are complex carbs with a lot of fiber, that are slowly release sugar into your body curbing hunger. Phloridzin and boron also help with bone strength.

Bananas – Banana benefits of consuming this fruit daily come from their high level of Vitamin B and C, potassium, and fiber. The potassium in bananas are good for warding off shin splints – an old cross country running secret. Bananas are great for quick energy and are more filling than other fruits.

These really are foods that I eat mostly every single day. They are staples in my diet because not only are they healthy, but extremely versatile. They can all be prepared in a different ways and topped with just about anything you want in order to keep from getting bored with your healthy meals. I could actually make a whole days worth of meals with just this list. Breakfast – oatmeal with banana. Lunch – Spinach salad with hummus, carrots, maybe even a scrambled egg. Snack – apple with nut butter (almond is my favorite). Dinner – Baked chicken or tofu. Even a post work out smoothie – with yogurt, spinach, and frozen banana.

This is my current running jam. I’ve heard the song a couple times and thought it was good. But then it came on Pandora while I was running and I fell in love with it. It gave me a sudden second wind during my workout. ❤

What I m currently eating:

Snack Time

1/2 a Gala apple heated for 1 min in microwave

unsweetened vanilla almond milk

cinnamon

handful Nature’s Path Hemp Plus Granola

large tsp of sunflower butter

❤

A med student friend was over and saw the granola, and asked what the benefit of hemp was. Well, I thought besides the fact that granola tastes awesome, they have hemp protein powders – so vegetarian source of protein and fiber I said. I was right, but boy was I underestimating this little plant!

At first putting hemp into Google, I found many sites claiming hemp to be the most useful and beneficial plant out there. This was interesting – I did not expect this. But is this just hippies touting crazy benefits or is this real? So I decided to move to my most reliable source of info – Wikipedia, and then I headed over to the Discovery website. Here is a brief list of what I found. The research could go on for a while on hemp. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids necessary to maintain healthy human life – I do no think there are many sources of veg. protein that contain all the essentials, meaning amino acids that you need for everyday life, but that your body does not make on its own. It is comprised of 33% protein, second only to soy (35%), but more easily digestible due to more globular protein – meaning water soluble proteins

Hemp seeds can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted, made into hemp milk

Approximately 44% of the weight of hempseed is healthy edible oils, containing about 80% essential fatty acids (EFAs); i.e., linoleic acid, omega -6(LA, 55%), alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 (ALA, 22%). You also need to ingest these, as your body does not make them. EFA’s are needed for heart and brain health. One resource stated “Hemp has an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of 3:1 which is closest to the optimum 4.0 average recommended by the World Health Organization for the human diet.”

They are suitable for those unable to eat gluten, sugar, milk, nuts & meat.

Some websites claim that hemp seeds contains more protein than any fish. That is true if you are talking percent weight, but you would have to eat tons of hemp seeds in order to actually obtain as many g of protein as you do from fish. Based on the math I did hemp seeds have about 3 times as much protein per gram than fish like salmon or haddock. With that said it is much easier to eat a fillet of fish for approx. 30 grams of protein than 150g of hemp seeds.

Hemp also gets a bad rap for its relationship with drugs. Hemp is from the cannabis genus but hemp and weed are from 2 different plants. So no harm.

That was a lot of information I did not expect to find, but hey – now I know. And it is always good know another great source of veg. protein and healthy fats to add to oats, smoothies, baked goods, etc.

My mom is currently living it up in Southern California right now.I receive daily pictures.

Like These:

And this:

That is the Hollywood sign in the back ground. Her current next door neighbor is Chevy Chase. No lie.

Meanwhile here in NYC, we have this:

It is sort of hard to read, but yes that does in fact say snow for April 1st. Must be a joke, right?

Today, I started with Week 1 Day 1 of my 5k training plan. It should have been yesterday, but sometimes life does get in the way. Doctor appointments are also part of maintaining a healthy life. So go get your annual physical if you are due!

Wednesday is also leg day this week. Work to follow this afternoon.

I mentioned yesterday that I like my bananas, scientifically known as Musa acuminata, to be under-ripe. Green bananas get me giddy. When you peel them they have a different smell. Almost fresher. And they taste a little more chalky and kind of melony. ❤

The Perfect Bunch:

Look how beautiful they are! Yum, Yum. And oddly enough in my reader this morning was a headline from Health.com. Bananas: Ultimate Hunger Buster. Turns out bananas that are still a little green are actually healthier for you! Well hot damn! As usual, Green is always Good! Bananas are loaded with resistant starch. RS does not get digested in the small intestine, and instead goes to the large intestine to act as dietary fiber. Green bananas have 3x the amount as ripe bananas. That’s approximately 12.5 g vs 4.7 g. I guess that explains the chalkier taste that I love so much. So next time you need a snack to hold you over grab a under ripe banana. You will also receive a healthy dose of potassium, which helps ward off the dreaded shin splints.

Welcome!

Hi! I am Ashley. A life long food enthusiast, but with a newly developed healthy attitude. This blog is a place for discussion about healthy living, as well as a resource for the science behind healthy choices. Freckles & Spice is my commitment to stay on the path towards healthy and active lifestyle and to rediscover myself, all while balancing the fast paced, hectic life of a professional twenty-something living in the city. Thanks for stopping by!

First time here? Check out this post for a little introduction to what you will find here.